Microsoft puts mobile developers on the map
C|Net | at | by Mike
Microsoft is planning to deliver data about the location of cell phones to developers through a partnership between its MapPoint Location Server and several U.K. network operators.
The partnership deal means that developers will be able to create services and applications based on the position of a person's cell phone much more easily than was previously possible.
When U.K.-based Zingo created a taxi-hailing service that matches mobile phone location data with GPRS positioning systems mounted in black cabs, the company had to approach each network operator separately. At the time, Zingo's managing director, Mark Fawcett, said the process was time-consuming, mainly because of a U.K. data protection law that makes network providers very cautious about sharing positioning data.